Progress in Libya irreversible, NATO Secretary General says in New York

NATO is committed to continuing its mission in Libya for as long as threats against civilians endure, but is determined to end the operation as soon as conditions allow, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said on 20 September on the margins of the meeting of the “Friends of Libya”, which he attended in New York.

“The days of the former regime are clearly numbered”, the Secretary General said. “The recent positive developments in Libya are irreversible”.

The Secretary General welcomed the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 2009, which establishes a UN mission in Libya. Resolutions 1970 and 1973, which mandated international action to protect civilians in Libya, remain in place, as threats against the civilian population persist.

Mr Rasmussen stressed the effectiveness of Operation Unified Protector, which NATO Allies and partners launched in response to the United Nations mandate. “Our operation has been a success. Allies and partners alike have made a difference by mounting a complex operation in very little time, carrying out our mandate to the letter, and with the highest degree of military professionalism to avoid harm to the Libyan people and their infrastructure”, he said.

The Friends of Libya meeting took place on the sidelines of the meeting of the UN General Assembly. It brought together international heads of state and government and representatives of key international and regional organizations, including from the African Union, European Union and United Nations to discuss ways to aid Libya’s transition to a functioning democracy.

Visit by the NATO Secretary General to New York21 Sep. 2011Members of the World's media gather around an aging CRT monitor to see President of the United States of America, Barack Obama, speak during the 66th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City

Visit by the NATO Secretary General to New York21 Sep. 2011NATO Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen speaks during an interview in the rose garden of the United Nations Headquarters in New York City. Rasmussen is in the city for the 66th Session of the United Nations General Assembly

Visit by the NATO Secretary General to New York21 Sep. 2011NATO Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen speaks during an interview in the rose garden of the United Nations Headquarters in New York City. Rasmussen is in the city for the 66th Session of the United Nations General Assembly

Visit by the NATO Secretary General to New York21 Sep. 2011NATO Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen speaks during an interview in the rose garden of the United Nations Headquarters in New York City. Rasmussen is in the city for the 66th Session of the United Nations General Assembly

Visit by the NATO Secretary General to New York21 Sep. 2011NATO Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen speaks during an interview in the rose garden of the United Nations Headquarters in New York City. Rasmussen is in the city for the 66th Session of the United Nations General Assembly

Visit by the NATO Secretary General to New York21 Sep. 2011NATO Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen walks through the rose garden of the United Nations Headquarters in New York City. Rasmussen is in the city for the 66th Session of the United Nations General Assembly

Visit by the NATO Secretary General to New York21 Sep. 2011NATO Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen (r) is interviewed by Jakob Nielson of the Danish publication, Politiken, at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City. Rasmussen is in the city for the 66th Session of the United Nations General Assembly

Visit by the NATO Secretary General to New York21 Sep. 2011Emir of Qatar, Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani greets NATO Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen at the Qatar Mission in New York City. The two leaders are in the city for the 66th Session of the United Nations General Assembly

Visit by the NATO Secretary General to New York21 Sep. 2011NATO Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen meets with the Emir of Qatar, Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani at the Qatar Mission in New York City. The two leaders are in the city for the 66th Session of the United Nations General Assembly

Visit by the NATO Secretary General to New York21 Sep. 2011NATO Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen (r) speaks with the Luxembourg Minister for Foreign Affairs, Jean Asselborn in New York City. The two leaders are in the city for the 66th Session of the United Nations General Assembly

Visit by the NATO Secretary General to New York21 Sep. 2011NATO Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, reviews schedule notes in an office overlooking the United Nations Headquarters in New York City. Rasmussen is in the city to attend the 66th Session of the United Nations General Assembly

Visit by the NATO Secretary General to New York20 Sep. 2011Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-Moon bids farewell to NATO Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen at the United Nations Headquarters in New York following a meeting between the two on the eve of the opening of the UN General Assembly.

Visit by the NATO Secretary General to New York20 Sep. 2011NATO Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen signs the guest book of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-Moon as Ki-moon looks on at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

Visit by the NATO Secretary General to New York20 Sep. 2011Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-Moon greets NATO Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on the eve of the opening of the UN General Assembly.

Visit by the NATO Secretary General to New York20 Sep. 2011NATO Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen pauses before the portrait of the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

Visit by the NATO Secretary General to New York20 Sep. 2011NATO Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen meets with the President of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on the eve of the opening of the UN General Assembly.

Visit by the NATO Secretary General to New York20 Sep. 2011NATO Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen meets with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Kostyantyn Gryshchenko in New York on the eve of the opening of the UN General Assembly.